Part 22 (1/2)

”We have already found him in the mess,” laughed Clay. ”He knew, according to your story, that I had put something in the safety vaults! Besides, he seemed to own the steamer you were on, didn't he?”

”He seemed to be the boss.”

”Suppose we quit guessing and get the _Rambler_ out of the mud,”

suggested Clay, then.

Case and Jule were called out on deck, and the lads, clad only in their bathing suits, were soon wallowing in the soft mud, which was so deep that they could get no footing at all, and so could not lift on the boat. In fact, the more they tried to lift the boat, to slide it toward deep water, the deeper she seemed to sink.

”We're up against a beautiful proposition!” Jule exclaimed, climbing back on deck and leaning over the gunwale. ”If we jar the boat any more, we'll have to take a trip to China and pull it through from the other side!”

Clay plowed out of the mud and made his way to the ”tow-head” where he began examining the growth of willows. He seemed satisfied with what he saw, for he began cutting the long wands and called to the others to join him.

”What's doing?” asked Case.

”This ain't no island improvement corporation!” Alex. grinned.

”I know what he's up to!” Jule shouted, and in a second he was off the deck, cutting willows and throwing them into a heap at the edge of the hard ground.

”We've got to make mattresses of these willows,” Jule declared, wiping the sweat from his face. ”I read about that in a paper not long ago.”

”To sleep on?” asked Alex., with a wink at Case.

”Silly!” roared Jule. ”Get busy, both of you.”

When a great stack of the willow wands had been cut, Clay and Jule began roughly braiding them together. In this way two mattresses a foot in thickness and nearly twelve feet square were constructed before noon. During all this time the boys had seen nothing of Chet, of Mose, or of the negroes who had camped on the sh.o.r.e the previous night. They had also overlooked breakfast!

The novelty of their employment had so engaged their attention that they felt no need of food until Teddy appeared on the deck sitting up like a man, begging for his breakfast! Then Alex. threw down the wands he was carrying to Clay, who was doing the weaving at that time, and sprang over to the boat with a chuckle of amus.e.m.e.nt.

”You're all right, Teddy Bear!” he cried. ”We don't know enough to eat when we're hungry, do we? We'll show 'em what it is to feed up right without delay.”

”What you going to get for dinner?” demanded Jule, putting a hand to his stomach to show how empty it was. ”I want a whale fried whole!”

”Get your whale, then,” advised Alex.

”Perhaps you think I can't!” laughed Jule. ”Pa.s.s out my line and rod and I'll show you whether I'm a fisherman or not!”

Alex. did as requested and Jule waded through the mud to where there was a bit of hard ground, next the island, with a little swirl of water close by.

”Watch me now!” he cried.

But the boys did not care to watch him. Case and Clay continued the work of braiding mattresses, and Alex. got out a gun and sat on deck watching for ducks, of which there were plenty in that vicinity.

Presently a yell from Jule called the attention of the others to him.

He was fighting a fish which seemed to the astonished boys to be not less than ten feet in length, and the fish was pulling him down stream.

”Give me a hand!” the boy shouted. ”He's pulling me in!”

”Let go the line!” cried Alex.